I'm pretty excited. She's finally here. Summer has arrived. And with her, she has brought, well, a lot of cool stuff, including ducklings (30 of them!), 9 pm dusk, fireflies, sunburns, and swimming instead of showers! But best of all, she has brought broccoli, cauliflower, and a host of other delicious seasonal veggies.
So far this spring, we have been enjoying loads of greens, including spinach, swiss chard, mangles (new to me!), beet greens, lettuce, mizuna and arugula, as well as the other early season crops like radishes, spring turnips (if you haven't tried them, you should) green onions and kale. There are also plenty of farm fresh eggs, goats milk, home made feta and goat cheese. It feels really good to rely so little on store bought foods in my day to day life. I probably won't ever be able to give up chocolate or coffee, but there is a sense of gratification and health that comes from eating mostly things that you planted yourself, or at least from animals who you helped milk, feed, or collected eggs from.
As a result of this, my cooking has been extremely local of late, but I've been having trouble keeping ahead of all of my farming tasks and still retaining enough energy to write a blog post. Today's dinner, however, made me realize that it's good to take a break for something you love, sometimes. And if there is one thing I love, it is Broccoli, Cauliflower & Cheese Casserole.
I've been using different recipes for years, and there are endless variations, but today I was feeling adventurous and decided to try making up the recipe myself. This is more or less what I came up with. I was trying to keep it traditional, but if you know me at all, you know that I would be quick to add some spice to this any time. Curry, paprika, or italian seasonings like basil and oregano come to mind.
This is a recipe that reminds me of my family, and of home.
Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup grated old cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
This is a basic cheese sauce. Make the roux by melting butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and cook, stirring, until brown, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Add cheese and salt & pepper to taste, and remove from heat.
1 cup broccoli
1 cup cauliflower
handful of green onions
handful of green garlic
3/4 cup grated old cheddar cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
Arrange the broccoli and cauliflower evenly in the bottom of a medium sized casserole dish. Sprinkle the green onions and garlic on top. Pour the cheese sauce over the veggies, then cover evenly with cheese, and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked but still firm (broccoli cooks faster and will be done first).
As a result of this, my cooking has been extremely local of late, but I've been having trouble keeping ahead of all of my farming tasks and still retaining enough energy to write a blog post. Today's dinner, however, made me realize that it's good to take a break for something you love, sometimes. And if there is one thing I love, it is Broccoli, Cauliflower & Cheese Casserole.
I've been using different recipes for years, and there are endless variations, but today I was feeling adventurous and decided to try making up the recipe myself. This is more or less what I came up with. I was trying to keep it traditional, but if you know me at all, you know that I would be quick to add some spice to this any time. Curry, paprika, or italian seasonings like basil and oregano come to mind.
This is a recipe that reminds me of my family, and of home.
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup grated old cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
This is a basic cheese sauce. Make the roux by melting butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and cook, stirring, until brown, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Add cheese and salt & pepper to taste, and remove from heat.
1 cup cauliflower
handful of green onions
handful of green garlic
3/4 cup grated old cheddar cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
Arrange the broccoli and cauliflower evenly in the bottom of a medium sized casserole dish. Sprinkle the green onions and garlic on top. Pour the cheese sauce over the veggies, then cover evenly with cheese, and top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked but still firm (broccoli cooks faster and will be done first).
